“Did you misunderstand something, Dad?” “I’m not picking on my big brother,” Dio said, tilting his head with a confused expression.
The tractor rolled over a loose rock, lurching violently.
Rock took advantage of the jolt to snatch *Vampire Hunter* out of the boy’s hands.
*What was I thinking buying this brat that novel?* “Don’t give me that.
The book from earlier today, the spider from last week, the stuff from last month—” “Those were all accidents,” Dio said, pouting.
He suddenly pointed toward the side of the road.
“Dad, look!
Fireflies!” Rock instinctively turned.
Sure enough, specks of green light flickered among the weeds.
When he turned back, Dio had already snatched the book back at some unobserved moment and was waving it at him triumphantly.
“…” The night wind blew into the cab, carrying the chill of dew.
“Oh, you…” Rock sighed suddenly.
“Do you have any idea that silly kid Clark still thinks you’re actually afraid of the dark?
Every night when you stayed at Jonathan’s place, he left a nightlight on for you.” “And he even whispered to me today…” Mimicking Clark’s simple, honest tone, Rock said, “Little Dio might love playing pranks~ but it’s definitely just because he’s lonely~” “?” Under the moonlight, Dio’s profile suddenly grew sharp, as if drawn with strange, exaggerated shading lines.
He clamped down on the spine of the book, making the parchment cover groan under the pressure.
“Clark is an idiot!” The words were squeezed out through gritted teeth, carrying a chill entirely incongruous with a child’s appearance.
Yet Rock keenly noticed the tips of the boy’s ears turning faintly red in the moonlight.
*Clang!* The tractor crested a dirt mound and rounded the final bend, bringing the outline of the Rock house into view.
“Dio, get along with Clark from now on.
He’s a good kid, and I think you are too,” Rock rambled on.
“If Clark ever gets really angry one day, it’ll be terrifying.
You wouldn’t want to get punched straight into the sky, would you?” The tractor pulled up in front of the house.
Rock pulled the key from the ignition, while Dio shoved the book into his backpack, muttering something under his breath.
“What was that?” Rock didn’t hear clearly.
“I said!” Dio raised his voice, glaring back with red eyes.
“He was the one trying to steal from me!” The moment he roared those words, a solitary teardrop splashed onto the dashboard.
Dio seemed stunned himself.
Hurriedly wiping his face with his sleeve, he leaped off the tractor before it had even come to a complete stop and bolted inside the house.
Watching the small figure stumble through the doorway and disappear, Rock couldn’t help rubbing the back of his neck, chilled by the night breeze.
*Was I really being that unfair between them?* *No…* *Maybe I was so obsessed with trying to treat them equally that I completely ignored Dio’s feelings…* Rock sighed.
Failing to notice his kid’s emotional troubles made him feel like a pretty lousy parent.
— Time glided quietly past in the golden waves of wheat on the farm.
Another year slipped by.
The newly purchased combine harvester glinted silvery in the sunlight, and the barn was stacked high with plump oats and wheat.
Now financially comfortable, he had even built a small windmill mill on the west side of the farm.
Next door, the Kent Farm remained the same size, as Jonathan and Martha focused most of their energy on raising Clark.
Their barn’s exterior was freshly painted red, and the vegetable garden was filled with sweet corn—Clark’s favorite.
Though they weren’t rich, it was enough for the extraordinary boy to grow up healthy.
While the relationship between the two boys remained peaceful on the surface, an indefinable rift lingered between them.
Still, perhaps because Rock had called him out, Dio stopped bullying Clark.
Yet clearly, such fake tranquility only lacked a spark to detonate.
Like on a certain afternoon…
Rock stood by the newly built fence, watching Dio and Clark “playing” in the open ground beside the wheat field.
If a one-sided chase counted as playing.
“Clark!
Give me back my book!” Dio’s face was flushed red as he chased angrily after Clark.
“What’s the fun in reading these?” Clark darted nimbly through the haybales, holding a copy of *Basic Physics* high in his hand.
“Come on, let me play with you!” “You bastard!
Give it back!” With a furious roar, Dio lunged straight at Clark.
Thanks to Clark’s quick reflexes, Dio missed completely.
Dio stumbled, crashing hard onto the ground and lying there motionless.
Seeing that things had gone wrong, Clark swallowed hard and stepped forward to help the fallen boy up.
“I’m sorry, Dio, I—” *They’re going to fight again…* Rock, who was busy repairing the fence, let out a sigh.
He was about to call out and intervene when he suddenly noticed…
*No way?!* “Dio!
Stop!” His heart leaped into his throat.
The wheat fields turned into a blur of golden light at the edges of his vision, and all he could hear was his own ragged breathing!
Rock had never sprinted so fast in his life!
Not far away, Dio tottered to his feet, his golden hair looking as if it were about to catch fire under the sun.
His body quivered at an unnatural frequency, and the air behind him warped strangely…
A humanoid phantom, golden-yellow all over and bulging with dense muscles, abruptly materialized!
“The World!” “Beat him half to death!” ?
Clark froze on the spot.
Wh-What World?
World what…?
Before he could think further, the golden figure—invisible to his eyes—moved.
It moved beyond the speed of human vision, leaving only a searing afterimage in the air.
Before Clark could even blink, a heavy fist slammed violently into his stomach! This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“Gah—!” Doubled over, Clark flew backward, breaking three fence posts before coming to a stop.
He curled up in the dirt, his face filled with sheer disbelief.
*What hit me?!* *What just hit me?!* *Could it be…* “Dio!” He looked up, utterly shocked.
“You…
you have powers too?!” “Shut up!” Dio screamed hysterically, the golden phantom behind him—invisible to anyone else—assuming an aggressive stance.
“You bastard!
Every single time, you steal my things!” “But now I’ve surpassed you!
I’m going to beat you to a pulp, Clark!” “Pummel him, The World!” *Boom!* A golden fist stopped right in front of Rock’s nose, the tremendous gust of wind blowing his cowboy hat clean off his head.
Yet Rock still spread his arms, blocking Clark, staring intently at the golden monster hovering in midair.
“Dio Kent!” Rock’s voice was like ice.
“Recall that thing!” “How could you hit your own family like this?!” Being scolded by his father like this for the first time, Dio’s pupils shrank in fear.
“But Dad, this time it’s real!
He started it!” The boy began to tremble, the phantom behind him flickering unsteadily.
“You jerk!” “You’ve always been on his side!” With Dio’s screech, the golden phantom shattered like glass into countless specks of light.
He turned on his heel and sprinted off into the distance, heading who knew where.
Clutching his throbbing stomach, Clark stared blankly in the direction Dio had disappeared.
His blue eyes were filled with confusion and hurt, the shock in his heart taking time to settle.
“Uncle Rock…” His voice trembled.
“What was that thing Dio had just now?” Rock took a deep breath and glanced at the purple phantom behind him—a figure only he could see.
He crouched down and placed a hand on Clark’s shoulder.
“Listen, kid, it’s complicated.” Ruffling the boy’s hair, Rock’s tone softened.
“Are you okay?” Clark shook his head, whispering, “I’m fine…
My body heals fast.” “If I get some sun, it won’t hurt anymore.” “It’s just…” The boy hesitated.
“Does Dio really hate me that much?” “No, he’s just…” Rock paused, searching for the right words.
“He’s just too angry.
Angry at me.” He sighed.
“Clark!
Rock!
What just happened?!” “How did I see Clark fly off all of a sudden?!” Jonathan and Martha’s anxious shouts rang out from the distance.
Clearly, the noise had drawn them over.
“Clark,” Rock stood up, “you go back first.
Don’t make Martha and Jonathan worry.” “If they ask, tell them Dio and I have something to settle.
You should be able to find us over at the windmill mill later.” “The windmill mill?
You mean Dio’s…” Clark hesitated, but ultimately nodded.
“Okay!”